Regrets
by Karson27
Summary: "My company, my cool phone, my cool phone which I gave you, that and I know everything." "Did you know that Hawkeye has a younger sister?"The smug look Iron Man had previously adopted disappeared
1. Chapter 1

***So I'm aware the title's not all that great but it is subject to change.**

* * *

Chapter One

Carly rolled her eyes at the people on the couch and floor beside her, trying to think of a way to keep the attention off of her.

"So, Carly," Michael began taking his eyes off of the TV, brown eyes meeting green. She bit her lip in anticipation, it's not that she didn't want to talk to him, these people were family. But she also knew that Michael would ask about her newest boyfriend and she didn't really want to explain her latest failed relationship.

The chime of the doorbell alerted them to the arrival of more guests.

"I'll get it," Carly said jumping up and smoothing the skirt of her red dress.

While the doorbell did act as a distraction, it wouldn't last.

"You're late," she greeted the newcomer.

"Dinner starts at 7 we have three minutes." He said brushing the invisible dirt off of his jacket. "Besides I brought a guest." Carly looked over his shoulder at the guest and snorted.

"Only you would bring Captain America to dinner, Phil," Carly laughed shaking her head.

"Are you going to let us in?" Phil asked.

"Yeah sure," Carly said moving aside to let them pass.

"Carly Barton," she introduced herself extending her hand.

"Steve Rogers," he said taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you Carly."

"Yeah wait until you spend more than five minutes with her before you pass that judgment," Phil muttered passing the two and stepping into the hallway.

"Gee, Steve I hope Phil hasn't been harassing you with his vintage Captain America trading cards."

"Not too much."

"Did you know he's the president of your fan club?"

* * *

The entire party sat gathered around the table, Captain America looked around confused taking his place on Carly's left.

"Just out of curiosity Captain," Carly started.

"Please call me Steve," he interrupted passing her the bowl of spaghetti noodles.

"Alright Steve, out of curiosity did Phil happen to mention to you that he was taking bringing you to our weekly Sunday dinner, which consists of his sister, her husband, and their two kids?" She asked placing the noodles on her plate and then passing it on.

"No," he answered. "All he said was 'I need to talk to my friend Carly about something important' and then he asked if I was up for a home cooked meal."

"Ah," Carly nodded understanding what had taken place. "That explains your look of confusion earlier."

"Psst. Aunt Carly," the eight year old beside her whispered.

"Yes Connor," Carly whispered back leaning down so she could hear him better.

"You realize Uncle Phil took your place as the cooler role model, right?" The little boy asked cheekily.

"And why is that?" Carly questioned arching her eyebrows.

"He brought Captain America to dinner all you brought me was a lousy t-shirt."

"Well Connor I could always take your lousy t-shirt back," she responded.

"No," Connor said looking down at his plate. "I love it."

"Thought so," Carly smiled picking up her fork and twirling it in her pasta. "It must be a genetic thing."

"What?" Michael's wife Alice asked.

"The love of Captain America must be a genetic thing among the males in this family."

Alice chuckled smiling. "I know right, Dad, Phil, and now even Connor, the trading cards."

"The t-shirts," Carly smiled fondly.

"Backpacks," Alice's thirteen year old daughter Rebecca added.

"I remember how Caleb use to explain to me why Captain America was, is the best superhero."

Alice's smile faltered. Steve tugged at his collar uncomfortable, Carly sent him a smile.

"Are you done yet?" Phil asked.

"Yeah we're done," Carly sighed.

"So, Carly," Michael began swallowing his food. "How's college?"

"Good, just like high school, except you know harder."

"And graduation?"

"The 19th,"

Agent Coulson looked up at this information. "The 19th, this upcoming 19th?"

"Yes, Phil,"

"How was I not aware of this?" The agent muttered to himself. "Alice were you aware of this," he addressed his sister.

Alice rolled her eyes and looked at her husband before answering her brother. "Yes Phil I was aware that Carly graduates the 19th of this month."

"Wow, this will take some adjusting,"

"Well you would have had plenty of time to adjust had you paid attention to Carly when she told you," Alice retorted. "Why would you need to adjust to this information?"

"Because for as long as I can remember Carly's been going to some sort of school elementary, middle, high school, college! And now in three weeks she'll be done!"

Carly decided to ignore the bickering siblings and focus her attention on the man setting to her left.

"I'm taking it when you agreed to come here tonight this isn't what you signed up for."

"I find that a lot of things aren't what I signed up for." He answered wearily.

Agent Coulson glanced over to see his favorite superhero and longtime friend talking, Carly had taken Steve's phone and was programming her number in it, while normally he would be ecstatic of the thought of his idol and the woman he thought of as sister flirting and maybe even dating. Right now though he needed Carly's attention and needed her to listen to what he had to say.

"Carly can I speak with you?" He asked interrupting his sister mid rant.

"Umm. Sure," she blinked.

"In private," he gestured to the door.

"Sure," she said handing Steve his phone back. Rebecca started humming 'Call Me Maybe'; Carly rolled her eyes and followed Phil out the door.

"You wanted to talk?" Carly asked rubbing her arms to keep warm. While it was May the nighttime was still slightly chilly.

"The 19th," Phil stated.

"Yes the 19th we already established that's when I graduate," she said slightly irritated.

"It's also the day your probation period ends," he informed her.

"What?"

"You can come back to S.H.I.E.L.D." He told the flabbergasted Carly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"While normally that would be the ideal situation," Carly stated. "I don't want anything to do with SHIELD. Ever," she added with finality, whirling around reaching for the door.

"Carly," Phil pleaded grabbing her wrist. "Please."

"I'm not going back, Phil!" Carly cried. "So, please don't ask!"

"Do you remember what I told about how we got the Avengers to become an actual team?" Phil asked changing tactics.

"You faked your death," she said crossing her arms.

"Exactly. Director Fury promised me I could pick a mission of my choice." Coulson paused going over his next choice of words. "I need your help on this one mission, Carly after that you can quit I don't care." He pleaded. "I'll get down on my knees and beg you if I have to."

"Can't you get an actual agent for this?"

"I picked my mission and then Director Fury regretfully informed me I could not use an active agent."

"You know what this tells me?" Carly asked rhetorically. "It tells me that Director Fury doesn't agree with your idea of a mission. It tells me that he doesn't support you on this 100%." She said bitterly. "The problem is Agent Coulson is that the minute I agree I become active again, so that one mission, which turns into two, which turns into ten, which turns into the rest of my life!" She said sliding down the wall placing her head on her knees.

"If you won't do this for me Carly, do it for Caleb, do it for my little brother, your best friend." Phil said pulling a file out of his jacket and handing it to her.

"I wish you get it through your head once and for all Phil," Carly said quietly looking up, tears streaming down her face. "Caleb is dead he is never coming back."

"I know Carly, I know," Phil said crouching down too look her in the eyes. "If you agree to this we could catch a killer."

Carly shook her head. "I'm going home Phil." She stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Please Carly just look at the file, that's all I ask."

"Fine."

* * *

Agent Coulson sighed defeatedly trudging into his sister's home.

"Uncle Phil where's Carly?" Connor asked noticing that his aunt wasn't behind his uncle.

"She had to get home, early class tomorrow." Phil lied sitting back down.

"Really?" Alice asked increduously standing up. "Because Carly didn't mention having an early class tomorrow." She said collecting Steve's plate.

"Must have slipped her mind," Phil offered as an explanation.

"Are you sure Carly's leaving had nothing to do with that little fight we heard outside?" She asked taking away Phil's plateful of spaghetti.

"I wasn't finished," he complained.

"I'm aware."

"I might have mentioned the agency."

"Kids why don't you go upstairs," Michael suggested.

"Sure," Rebecca sensing the confrotation that was about to happen. "C'mon Connor."

"But," Connor protested.

"Let's go Connor," she ordered her brother.

"Fine,"

"Why is it that I knew the moment we mentioned the 19th, you would also bring up to Carly that it was the day her leave of probation is up and she can come back to SHIELD?" Alice questioned.

"Alice you don't get it,"Phil began.

"No you don't get it!" Alice shouted interrupting him. "Because of your precious SHIELD, our family was torn apart! Carly barely even speaks to her brother! You remember him don't you?" She asked. "I think you call him Hawkeye now. Do you remember Carly's actual big brother? I know you like to think that you're Carly's actual older brother and that you have her best interests at heart but you don't!"

"Alice."

"Don't, it's not that I don't appreciate what you do," Alice said quietly turning to the stunned Captain America. "It's just that I don't appreciate who you do it for."

"I understand," Steve said

* * *

Carly shuffled into her apartment.

"Hey you're back early,"her roommate commented coming into the living room carrying a bowl of popcorn. "What happened?" She asked taking in her best friend's red puffy eyes.

"It's just been one of those days, Sarah," Carly replied sniffiling.

"How about we watch some stupid Chick Flick and try to get your mind off whatever it is." Sarah soothed placing the bowl on the coffee table.

"Nah," Carly shook her head. "I have some homework I need to look over," she said holding up the file Agent Coulson had given her.

* * *

*** I know it's shorter than the last chapter and I'm sorry**


	3. Chapter 3

As Captain America, Steve Rogers often found himself in gym working out. Unfortunately dues to his powers as the red, white, and blue crusader most days Steve found himself replacing the punching bag that had previously broken. Today was one of those days.

"You know Uncle Sam," came an irritating voice. "They design those bags to be punched on and not obliterated."

"What do you want Stark," Steve grunted replacing the bag.

"Nothing, nothing," Tony said eyes darting around the room. "You know the point in a vacation is to get as far away from your job as possible, not stay on one of its many bases."

"It's not like I had anywhere else to go," Steve replied punching the bag.

"So, how's that new phone working out for you?" Stark asked circling the room. Steve ignored him. "I noticed that you programmed a new number into your phone, some girl named Carly," he said smugly.

"How could you possibly know that?" Steve asked dropping his stance.

"My company, my cool phone, my cool phone which I gave you, that and I know everything."

"Did you know that Hawkeye has a younger sister?"

The smug look Iron Man had previously adopted disappeared and was replaced with look of confusion.

"Stark if you must grace us with your presence," Coulson interrupted entering the room. "Might I remind you that this is a secret base and you parking your beacon of a car out in the open, does not help keep it a secret."

"Agent," Tony said smirking. "Need I remind you that this base is on a mountain. Who is going to see my car on a mountain?"

"Mountain people," came a sarcastic feminine voice.

"Carly how did you get her?" Coulson asked the newest member of the group.

"Well you see Phil there's this contraption called a car and I own one," Carly began. "I opened the driver's side door got in, turned the key in the ignition, put my seatbelt on, found a really good radio station, backed out of my parking spot, took a left-"

"So you drove here," Phil interrupted holding up his hand to stop here.

"Yes."

"Is that her?" Tony quietly asked the Captain.

Captain America nodded.

"Mr. Rogers wonderful to see you again," Carly said acknowledging his presence.

Tony snorted.

"What?" Steve asked.

"There's a tv show I need to introduce you to, Captain," Tony said clapping him on the back.

"Let's get started," Coulson said directing Carly out of the room.

Tony started to follow them.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked.

"Like you aren't curious about what they're going to do?" Iron Man retorted.

* * *

***So I realize in the last chapter Caleb wasn't fully explained but he will be and I'm aware this chapter is a whole lot shorter compared to the other one.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Tony Stark had to admit he kind of liked Carly, if anything it was for her vaguely veiled insults she would throw at Agent Coulson

With her long curly brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin from time in the sun or tanning bed Carly was real he could understand Cap's crush on her (even though he was pretty sure Cap wasn't aware he had crush on her).  
This could be a lot of fun. There was also something about her that seem oddly familiar, like he had met her before.

"Do I know you?" Tony finally asked her

"I don't think so," she said glancing up from the information on the screen she and Coulson had been looking at for the past few hours.

"Hmm," he mused. "Are you sure because you seem vaguely familiar."

"It could be that I recieved the Stark Foundation Scholarship," she said after a few seconds.

"Scholarship Stark? Didn't know you had it in you to be a humanitarian," Coulson scoffed not bothering to look up.

"That's because I don't, it was a tactical move," he explained. "That and Pepper came up with it."

Coulson snorted and looked up at the clock. "It's getting late," he directed at Carly. "I think you should stay here for the night."

"It's not that late," Carly stated starting to place books and papers in her bag. "Besides I have classes tomorrow and I have no clothes here."

"It will be really late by the time you drive home and didn't you used to stay here with your brother?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm pretty sure you left some of you old clothes that may fit in your old room. If not stop by Alice's tomorrow. It's on the way."

"May fit?" Carly asked placing her hands on her hips. "Are you implying that I'm fat now? Because I'll have you know I weigh a lot less than you do."

"No, no! I wasn't implying that you were fat," Coulson backtracked. Carly surpressed a grin, while Tony laughed, and Steve chuckled slightly. "You live for moments like these when you can make me squirm, don't you." He glared at Carly.

"Yep," she grinned.

"One of these days, I will get you back," he vowed.

"That's fine, just remember I'm younger than you and a female, so I have way more dirt on you than you have on me," she warned narrowing her green eyes at him. "So unless you want me to start talking I wouldn't try anything."

Oh, yes Tony liked the girl and her could see the potential in her. And yes he was going to bug Cap until he asked her out.

And he knew exactly how to start. He extended his foot just enough to cause Carly to trip and because he knows what kind of man Steve is he knew Steve would catch her.

Maybe.

* * *

Tony decided to further investigate Hawkeye's younger sister by staying the night at the base as well.

Currently she was curled up on one end of the couch in what appeared to be a large rec room, she had legs tucked under her and her arms and head resting on the arm rest watching the latest version of Alice in Wonderland. The Captain was stoically sitting on the other end of the couch, sneaking glances at her when he thought no one was looking and then turning his head back to the movie.

From his position in the recliner to the left of Carly he could see the two, it was almost cute if he believed in that sort of thing, sidelong glances, he almost wanted to laugh.

The annoying catepillar came back on the screen he had spent most of the movie trying to figure out who voiced the character.

"That's Severus Snape!" He exclaimed finally figuring it out.

"Well duh," Carly snorted and rolled her eyes. "What other condescending actor were they going to get to play an equally condescending character that makes the chosen one feel like dirt?" Tony glared at her.

Carly turned her head back to the screen and watched the remainder of the movie. When the credits began to roll, Carly stood up and began to walk away from the two heroes.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked. "There's no alcohol, or at least any you can drink. I've already checked."  
Carly rolled her eyes and continued on her path. "I'm going to go get a blanket. Feel free to pick out another movie."

"Askherout," Tony coughed into his hand.

"What?" Steve asked turning his head to look at his comrade.

"Ask. Her. Out."

Before Steve could reply they heard a door shut.

"So, Steve and I were wondering how long has this base been here?" Tony called out.

"A while it used to be the main base of operation," Carly explained coming back into the room. "It wasn't until I was eighteen or so that the work on the Helicarrier was completed."

"Interesting, interesting, right Cap?" Tony asked.

"You know your voice carries, right?" Carly asked sitting back down.

"So you heard all of our conversation?"

"Mhmm," she nodded pursing her lips.

"Well then, I believe the honorable thing for you to do Steve is to ask her out," Tony stated with a straight face.

"With that being said I'm going to bed. To bed I said," he joked rising from him his chair. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

The two sat in silence, Carly inspected her nails.

"It's not that I don't find you attractive," Steve spoke up.

"Excuse me," Carly turned narrowing her eyes.

"The reason I'm not asking you out," he clarified. "Because you're very pretty, it's just that if I'm going to ask a girl out I want to do it on my own terms."

"How would you?" Carly asked turning around and sitting cross legged with her back to the arm rest.

"How would I what?"

"How would you ask a girl out?"

"I would introduce myself, talk to her for a little while, and then I would ask her out."

"And how would you ask me out? If you hadn't met me already."

"I would walk up to you, introduce myself, try to flirt with you-"

"Try?"

"Try because you're a special girl and you wouldn't fall for anything I threw at you, and then I would ask you out,"

"And if that didn't work?"

"I would ask if I could kiss you," he said meeting her eyes.

"Steve," she whispered leaning closer to him.

"Yeah."

"You can kiss me."

* * *

*** So I am aware this isn't the best chapter in the world, but I was trying to get it out of the way.**

**Coming up soon: Hawkeye**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"And I take pride in the fact that I set them up," Tony boasted to Phil taking a drink from his glass.

"I highly doubt that you set them up," Phil said choosing not to rise to Tony's goading. "Why are you even here?" He questioned sorting through files.

"Checking up on Carly," he shrugged.

"Why?"

"Consider me her wealthy benefactor," Tony stated swirling the contents of his glass.

"Wealthy benefactor?"

"Yes you see it's my money that's paying for her to go to college, therefore I'm investing in her future, I came to check up on my investment."

"You didn't even realize she was going to school on your scholarship until she told you," Phil scoffed.

"Do you know what she's majoring in?" Tony asked innocently.

"Yes she's majoring in...um... I don't know," he answered uncertaintly

"She's double major in Business and engineering and minoring in Criminal Justice,"

"Are you aware she graduates in three weeks?"

"Yes Pepper and I will be attendance."

"What are you really up to?" Coulson asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said throwing his hands up in defense. "There's no trust."

"That might be because you hacked into their system the first day here," a new voice offered.

"Banner!" Tony exclaimed at the scientist.

"What are you doing here?" Coulson scrutinized the two men.

"Tony called me," Bruce fidgeted.

"What are you up to?" Coulson asked Tony again.

"Relax Coulson," Tony said walking towards Bruce. "Glad to see you could make it," Tony clapped the man on the back.

"Yeah, yeah," Bruce shrugged somewhat nervously.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Stark whispered glancing at the doorway. "She is going to help us with a little project,"

"And what is this little project?" Bruce whispered back.

"All in due time, my friend, all in due time."

"It's when you say things like that I start to worry," he warned.

"So long as that worrying doesn't make you turn into the other guy we're good," Tony glanced at the door way again, but this time he smiled. "Carly wonderful to see you," he addressed her walking towards her.

"Great to see you too, Tony," Carly said slightly confused by Tony's atittude towards her.

"You look nice," Coulson commented taking in her appearance. Her usually curled hair was straightened and she was wearing a fancy purple tank top with embellishments around the neck and a green and purple floral skirt that went to her knees. "Are you wearing heels?" He asked increduously.

"Am I not allowed to look nice?" Carly asked him arching her an eyebrow.

"No, it's just that you usually don't look that nice."

Tony chuckled at how Coulson always managed to stick his foot in his mouth whenever Carly was around.

"Are you saying I usually look like a slob?" She said placing her hands on her hips.

"Before this situation turns deadly," Tony said grabbing Carly by the elbow and redirecting her. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Bruce Banner."

Carly smiled and took Bruce's offered hand. "Carly Barton, it's wonderful to meet you Dr. Banner."

"Please call me Bruce," he smiled back dropping the handshake. "Barton, huh?" He asked turning to Tony.

"Yes she's our good friend Clint Barton's little sister." Tony told the doctor.

"Interesting," he muttered.

"Why are you dressed up Carly?" Phil finally asked.

"I have a date," she replied taking the file Phil had previously been looking at.

"Do I know him?" He asked absentmindedly.

"Mhmm," she nodded flipping over a page in the file, she shook her head at what she was reading and took a pen off the table and started to cross out what Phil had written earlier. "You introduced us."

"I set them up," Tony smirked. Steve walked into the room and looked at the people gathered there, the only one who noticed him there was Bruce. He nodded at him.

Phil looked at Carly "He did." She told him.

"I hate you," he glared at Stark, before turning back to Carly. "Is this like your first date?"

"Fifth we've been dating for two weeks." She shrugged. "You would've known had you gone to Alice's family dinner Sunday."

Tony's smirk turned into his 'the cat that ate the canary' smile. "Oh, Carly before you go on this date I was wondering if you could help Bruce and I with a little problem we're having?"

Before she could respond Steve chose this moment to reveal himself by coming up behind Carly and wrapping his arms around her. "I think before she does that, she needs to help Phil, because that's reason I'm here and not your place picking you up."

"You know I don't like people telling me what to do," she teased.

"I'm not telling, I'm advising," he teased back.

"This is almost too cute," Tony interrupted them. "Carly?" He asked patiently.

"Oh, right, I promise I'll help you later."

"That's fine," Tony assured her.

* * *

"What are you up to, Tony?" Bruce asked. Tony and Bruce had set up shop at a table in one corner of the room closest to the door, while Carly, Steve, and Coulson were on the opposite side of the room.

"Relax, Bruce," Tony said waving him away. "Don't you have some samples you're wanting to test?"

"Yes," Bruce answered warily.

"I believe that Carly would be a great help to us," he stated looking across the room to where she and and Coulson had set up their operation two weeks ago.

"Why?"

"Like you and I, Miss Barton is a genuis."

"How do you know? I thought you said you didn't know who she was until she told you?" Bruce asked confused.

"Please I knew who she was all along, do you really think I would give away a million dollar scholarship without keeping track of the recipient?"

"So you knew who she was when Steve told you she was Clint's sister?"

"No, that I did not know. Upon deciding who recieved the scholarship I put two hopefuls Carly and some other kid through a series of tests, one of them being an IQ test. What I did not give was DNA test."

"And had you given a DNA test would she still have recieved the scholarship?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Yes," Tony revealed. "She's got so many connections with S.H.I.E.L.D. she's a former operative, her brother's a current operative, she's bffs with Coulson, who's Fury's right hand man, we could use this to our advantage."  
"We could if I had any idea what you're up to," Bruce said again.

"All will be revealed, later."

"You almost sounded like a villian right then, but if that's the case then why did you set her up with Cap?"

"The minute I saw them in the same room I knew they liked each other, or at least knew Cap liked her."

"So you acted as a matchmaker out of the kindness of your heart?"

"That and by him being with her, he's not over here trying to figure out what we're up to."

"And what are we up to?"

"Finding out what Fury's up to."

"You think he's up to something?"

"I don't know but we're going to find out," he said motioning between them.

"And where does Hawkeye fit into all of this?"

"Hawkeye?"

"Turn around." Tony turned around in his chair, and saw Hawkeye and the Black Widow standing in the doorway, Hawkeye glanced briefly at their table and around the room until finally seeing Carly.

"Son of a bitch."

"What's she doing here?" They heard him ask.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"What's she doing here?" Clint asked glaring at Coulson.

"It's a free country big brother," she told him.  
Clint ignored her and continued interrogating Coulson. "Did you coerce her into this?"

"Clint," Natasha began trying to diffuse the situation.

"I didn't coerce her into anything," Coulson defended himself.

"I'd like to believe that Coulson I would, but the minute Director Fury told me about your little mission, I knew you would bring her in."

"Clint!" Carly warned. "Don't blame him, I came here of my own free will, not coercion," she sneered.

"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe," he spat at Coulson. "Because it seems to me he has you at his beck and call every time he mentions Caleb's name!"

Carly exhaled and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked after Tony nudged him.

"I'm leaving of my own free will," she shot at her brother.

"Carly," Steve called after her following her.

"That could have went better," Natasha sighed before narrowing her eyes at Clint. Hawkeye hung his head and walked off.

Coulson began to pack everything away, while the Black Widow went the same direction as Clint had went.

"I think we need to look into the family relationship of Clint and Carly Barton and this Caleb guy," Tony told Bruce getting up from the table.

* * *

"Do you always take refuge out here?" Steve asked coming across outside sitting down in the grass.

"Yeah," she smiled faintly, he sat down beside her. "I would hide out here and Clint would hide out on the roof."

"Why don't you tell me why you and brother have such a strained relationship?" He asked gently.

"Are you sure you want here this story?" Carly asked Steve, drawing random patterns on the ground with her fingertips. "It's pretty long."

"We have all the time in the world," Steve told her grabbing her hand.

* * *

"Maybe it's a good thing your sister's here," Natasha said tentatively placing her hand on Clint's shoulder. "She does love you Clint it's just hard for her," she soothed.

"I know," he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked sitting down beside him laying her head on his shoulder.

"I was five years old when Carly was born," Clint began the story. "I was outside in the waiting room, when my father came out carrying a baby Carly Christine. He placed her in my arms and said 'this is your baby sister, Clinton as the older brother it's your job to look out for her, protect her. When I was six my parents died, Carly was still a baby. They put us in an orphanag. Carly was three when I overheard two of the workers there saying Carly would never be adopted if they kept trying to keep us together. So, I ran away."

"To the circus," Natasha supplied.

"Yes to the circus. I thought she would be better off. I thought she would be placed in a home and loved and taken care of," Clint explained. "I was 17 and I was starting out at SHIELD, I decided to go back to the orphanage to see what happened to my baby sister and she was still there."

"So, you brought her back with you."

"I couldn't just leave her again, but I also knew that she couldn't stay with me on the base." He paused. "That's where the Coulsons came in, they let her stay with them and I was able to spend as much time as I wanted with my sister. I even taught her how to shoot a bow," he chuckled. "She and Caleb became junior SHIELD operatives, everything was going great until that mission."

"You don't have to go on," Natasha said gently.

"I need to. We were about to leave the building was going to blow up. I didn't see the gun, but he did. He saved Carly and I left him there while I dragged Carly kicking and screaming out of there."

* * *

"He abandoned you," Steve said.

"I understand why though," Carly said softly. "And I don't blame him for it."

"But you blame him for Caleb's death?"

"For a while I did," she said softly.

"That's why you agreed to help Coulson find Caleb's killer to put this whole ordeal to rest."

"And I want my brother back."

* * *

"Wow," Bruce said looking at the screen.

"Yep," Tony muttered. "It seems that directly after this mission the junior division of S.H.I.E.L.D. became less active."

"Do you think she blames him?" Bruce asked.

"For the death of her best friend at the age of eighteen, the mission that her brother was team leader of," Tony said. "Maybe but probably not as much as they blame themselves. Carly because he died saving her life. And Clint because he got them into this situation."

"That's got to be hard to lose your best friend like that," Bruce stated sadly.

"And her brother," they heard Steve say.

"What no lecture?" Tony asked.

"It's not like it would stop you," he sighed. "Do you know the whole story or just the half?"

"We know the whole story."

"He abondoned her that makes it obviously clear at to why she hasn't forgiven him," Bruce stated.

"I'd love to see how this all comes to head when he finds out that Cap and Carly are dating." Tony said.

"Steve and Carly are dating?" They heard Natasha ask. "Since when," she directed at Steve.

"Two weeks ago."

"I'm glad," she smiled. "But you're wrong," she turned to Bruce. "They forgave each other a long time ago, they just haven't talked. I think you should know some things about Clint and Carly."


End file.
